First Case of 'Flurona' Coinfection of COVID-19 and Flu Detected in Israel

Seasonal Flu Cases Surge with Coinfections Reported
Flu Deaths Occur...Global Concerns Over 'Twin-demic'

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It has been reported that a patient simultaneously infected with COVID-19 and seasonal flu was identified for the first time in Israel. While the number of flu patients worldwide had sharply decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year, flu-related deaths have also been reported, raising concerns about a "twindemic," where two pandemics occur simultaneously.

According to the Times of Israel on the 2nd (local time), the first case of so-called "flurona," a simultaneous infection with COVID-19 and the flu virus, was reported in Israel. The infected patient was a pregnant woman who was admitted to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel. She experienced only mild symptoms and was discharged on the 30th of last month.

Israeli health authorities warned that the fear of a twindemic, with simultaneous outbreaks of COVID-19 and the flu, is spreading as seasonal flu cases surge. Nearly 2,000 patients have been hospitalized due to the flu recently in Israel, and last week, a 31-year-old woman in her ninth month of pregnancy reportedly died after being hospitalized at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem due to the flu she contracted two weeks earlier.

The Times of Israel reported that Israeli health authorities believe there may be many people simultaneously infected with COVID-19 and the flu virus who have not yet been diagnosed. These viruses are known to attack the upper respiratory tract simultaneously, potentially causing severe respiratory illnesses such as breathing difficulties.

Although flu cases worldwide had sharply declined since the full onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the recent increase in cases is raising concerns about a twindemic, the Times of Israel reported.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.